Career Services lets students take their careers for a spin

By Mitchell Lockey
Online Editor

Students at LCCC can not only test drive their career before getting out into the real world, but they can also earn some credit hours, make connections with professionals  and in some cases get paid while doing so.

A wide variety of internship and co-op positions are available to choose from through the Employment and Career Services department. A marketing internship has students conducting field research. While another internship in Web Design students update and maintain a company web site. There is also an animation internship where students create and animate 3D models of the heart, brain, and spinal cord.

There are also paid internships that give students some cash to go along with the work experience they will be gain. Some of these internship positions include Social Network Marketing, Laboratory Technician, and Software Development.

A lot of the paid internship and co-op positions are being created by the Innovation Fund and the businesses it is helping to create. Businesses that receive a B Grant (awarded to a company with an established technology) from the Innovation Fund must create at least one paid internship position.

Linda Telzrow, Innovation Fund Experiential and Work-Based Learning Specialist, works for Glide, which guides the businesses that receive grants from the Innovation Fund. She helps students interested in internships and co-ops find a company to work for that matches their skill set and career goals.

One student that Telzrow worked with is Danielle Sirgy. Sirgy completed a summer internship with Recognition Robotics as their Graphic/Web Design & Marketing Intern.

“My summer internship with Recognition Robotics has been more than I could have ever imagined.  The first hand knowledge I have gained through working directly with the President and C.E.O of the company has broadened my horizons on the possibilities of starting and running your own successful business,” she says.

Working so closely with the top brass of startup companies is one of the greatest benefits of landing an internship with one of the Innovation Fund grant receivers. Telzrow says that internships at these small companies have a much greater impact on the business as a whole when compared to businesses and corporations that are well established.

Students have an opportunity to test the waters of their future jobs. “You really get to try it out,” says Telzrow, “You don’t have to guess, you’re living it.” Students can go ahead with their career choice with greater confidence after completing an internship, or if they didn’t like it, choose something else.

New businesses are created through the Innovation Fund every quarter, so new internship and co-op positions are constantly being added to the list. For more information, students can contact Employment and Career Services at 440-366-4076.

There are a few requirements to be aware of before applying to these internships. Students must be part-time to full-time and have 30 credit hours under their belt. An overall GPA of 2.5 is preferred, although a GPA of 2.0 is acceptable if the student has taken an Entrepreneurship class.